In 2020, Godfrey Riddle founded Civic Saint, a Kansas City business focused on creating affordable and artful housing options for the community. Growing up in Kansas City, Riddle witnessed firsthand the struggles of his parents with homeownership and is determined to provide more people, especially those from the Black community, with access to this essential aspect of life.
Civic Saint’s homes are built using compressed earth blocks (CEBs), a cost-effective and sustainable building material made of sand, clay, soil, lime or cement water. These CEBs offer numerous benefits such as strength and durability while also being environmentally friendly. The homes built by Civic Saint are estimated to cost around $100,000 to build 850 square feet and will be sold for $130,000-$140,000.
The first project for Civic Saint is a tiny home in Montgall Park with plans to expand and build in other neighborhoods in need of affordable housing options. Riddle emphasizes the importance of offering a variety of housing options such as single-family homes, townhouses and small apartment complexes to give people more opportunities to own property and build wealth. He also aims to incorporate art into the design of the homes to reflect the unique character of each neighborhood.
Civic Saint has partnered with the GEM Cultural and Education Center for KC Design Week to showcase an example facade of homes built with CEBs. A public forum will be held on April 25th at kcdesignweek.org where people can learn more about this innovative housing solution. With their focus on affordability and sustainability, Civic Saint is paving the way towards a future where everyone has access to safe and comfortable housing options in their communities
